TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM | A COMPARISON OF JOURNALS

CONT 933 | MODULE 2 | JULY 2020 |

ANALYSIS AND JUSTIFICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

“I began to understand that my adolescent students, including struggling readers, were capable Internet and
technology users and enjoyed reading.” Tarasiu, Tracy, 2010.

“Technology should not be a means to an end for learning outcomes nor should it become a barrier to student-
centered learning experiences.” Marks, Diane, 2013.

For the purposes of this assignment I considered two journals that were student-centered and that focused on
the delivery of teaching through a hybrid model.

A hybrid model is delivered through face-time and on-
line interactions. This model is an attempt to make
education more appealing to learners in the 21st
century. Students are in the midst of great
transformation and the future is uncertain (Marks,
Diane, 2013). As teachers we prepare students to have
skills and competencies that they will need for their
future careers and in their lives. in order to thrive and
function in this ever-changing landscape students will
need to learn how to re-shape their skills, be adaptable,
and be life-long learners.
Technology is one way that teachers can prepare
students for the unknown future. If teachers
provide students with opportunities to be self-
directed, productive, and accountable, students
will have a greater chance at success. Skills such
as troubleshooting and navigating various
technologies are invaluable indeveloing
adaptability, flexibility, and problem solving
skills.In addition to thes skill-sets, face-to-face
and face-time interactions also develop students
competencies.
“Based on observations and data, I developed activities that would take advantage of studetns’ literacy
and advance their skills in both traditional and contemporary texts” (Tarasiu, Ttract, 2010).
In the journal, “The Hybrid Course: Leaning Into the
21st Century” by Diane Marks, the focus was on the
delivery of on-line learning and face-time, as a
delivery of one course. Her students were
universoty aged and chose the courses they were
interested in. The on-line portion was appreciated
by many students as they did not have to pay for
fuel and parking or take their time for travel to the
insititution. Students also found the face-time
section to be advantageous. The study noted that
students, “…appreciated class time for trouble-
shooting, online tutorials for mew technologies, and
virtual office hours to get help one-on-one”. This
is a key component to delivering a hybrid model - it
considers the technological development as well as
the social emotional needs of students.
Tracy Tarasius’ study “Combining Traditional and
Contemporary Texts: Moving My English Class to
The Computer Lab”, was concerned with individuals
that were disengaged in their learning. She
considered the needs and interests of her students
and re-shaped her lessons and delivery of teaching.
She also changed the physical environment by
delivering the on-line lessons and assignments in
the computer lab. Providing time for the students to
explore and troubleshoot was a large part of the
learning and the report stated that, “As a traditional
teacher, I was instilled with the mantra “stay on
task,”. It took much effort for me to interfere as little
as possible. This was a struggle, until I observed
that the work the students completed seemed
unaffected by their multitasking.”
We can acertain that teaching with technology may
require some teachers to be uncomfortable as they
leave their comfort zone – this will show students
that teachers are adaptable, flexible, and life-long
learners. As teachers navigate through this new
model of teaching it is important to remember that
technology is rapidly changing and staying current
is very difficult. Students input and expertise will be
invaluable to the school culture, and they will be
more engaged in their learning as they are using
tools that they are familiar with and already enjoy
using.
Using a hybrid model can provide experiences that
prepare students for university, careers, and life-
long learning. Bringing students’ into various
learning environments and providing opportunites
for students to use technlogy are some ways we can
make our teaching meaningful and relevant.
“Technology should not be a means to an end for
learning outcomes nor should it become a barrier to
student-centered learning experiences” (Marks,
Diane, 2013).
References
Marks, D. (2013). The Hybrid Course: Leaning Into
the 21st Century. Journal of Technology
Integration in the Classroom, 5(1), 35–40.
Tarasiuk, T. (2010). Combining traditional and
contemporary texts: moving my English class to
the computer lab: using technology as their
medium, teachers can guide students through
important comprehension processes while making
meaning of traditional texts.Journal of Adolescent
& Adult Literacy, 53(7), 543